Jimmy
21st June 2006, 09:11 AM
Guys, this is an article from an on-line info site - gives a little history to the whole autonomy picture.
Jim.
Liquidating Spain?
http://knowledgenews.net/moxie/moxiepix/a1118.jpg
A nation of 17 "autonomous communities"
The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plains, but the answer to the question "Who reigns in Spain?" isn't exactly plain. On Sunday, voters in the nation's semiautonomous Catalonia region overwhelmingly approved a referendum that will give the region even more autonomy, including much more control over its own tax revenues.
The vote may pave the way for increased autonomy in other regions too--including the Basque Country, home to the ETA, the separatist group that declared a "permanent ceasefire" in March after killing some 800 people since 1968. The Spanish media is reporting that Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who supported Catalonia's new law, will soon begin direct talks with the ETA.
Catalonia and the Basque Country are among Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas ("autonomous communities"), akin to states or provinces, that already get to make many decisions for themselves. Critics say granting them more autonomy is folly. Mariano Rajoy, leader of Spain's center-right Popular Party, calls it "the liquidation of constitutional Spain." That may be an overstatement, but it wouldn't be the first time constitutional Spain has been liquidated.
A Little History, Please
Both the Basque Country and Catalonia (along with Galicia) were granted autonomy by the short-lived Spanish Constitution of 1931. That constitution got blown away by the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), which also claimed the lives of perhaps a million Spaniards.
From the end of the war until the mid-1970s, an autocratic dictator--Francisco Franco--reigned. When Franco died in 1975, he left the reins of Spain in the hands not of an elected official, but of a monarch--King Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón (Juan Carlos, for short).
To the king's credit, he immediately began to facilitate a transition toward constitutional democracy, helping Spain achieve the historically unthinkable--a bloodless transition from dictatorship to representative government. One of his first steps was to legalize political parties, including Prime Minister Zapatero's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
A Little Autonomy, Please
In 1978, Spain adopted its current constitution, which created the autonomous communities as a compromise to keep the nation from falling apart. Basically, the constitution's framers faced pressure from two sides. On the one hand, regional autonomy had been a rallying cry for the democratic opposition since the Franco years, and even before. (Catalonia, the Basque Country, and other regions have their own linguistic, cultural, and political traditions.)
On the other hand, conservative groups--and their supporters in the army--insisted that Spain remain a centralized state. So the constitution wound up recognizing both "the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation," and the right of "provinces with a historic regional status" to "form autonomous communities." Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia (dubbed "historical nationalities" by the constitution) soon became autonomous communities. Other regions followed suit, and by 1983, Spain had been divided into 17 more-or-less autonomous chunks.
Who Reigns in Spain Today?
The king remained on his throne to serve as the ceremonial head of state, as he does to this day. And the constitution created a national government with a freely elected bicameral parliament (called the Cortes). But the national government shares power with the regional governments, and the amount of power it shares varies from region to region. In other words, some autonomous communities are more autonomous than others.
Under the newly passed law, Catalonia could become the most autonomous of all--but perhaps not for long. The Basque Country and Galicia will likely pursue similar autonomy reforms, as may Valencia. And Andalusia has already proposed a new set-up for itself. Together, these five regions account for more than half of Spain's population.
Critics of the new autonomy measures fear a Balkanization of Spain. But supporters--including the prime minister--see decentralization as a means to modernize and even strengthen the nation, albeit under a more federalist system.
Steve Sampson
June 20, 2006
Want to learn more?
See Catalonia's sights online (http://www.pbase.com/wwestcott/catalonia)
http://www.pbase.com/wwestcott/catalonia
Jim.
Liquidating Spain?
http://knowledgenews.net/moxie/moxiepix/a1118.jpg
A nation of 17 "autonomous communities"
The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plains, but the answer to the question "Who reigns in Spain?" isn't exactly plain. On Sunday, voters in the nation's semiautonomous Catalonia region overwhelmingly approved a referendum that will give the region even more autonomy, including much more control over its own tax revenues.
The vote may pave the way for increased autonomy in other regions too--including the Basque Country, home to the ETA, the separatist group that declared a "permanent ceasefire" in March after killing some 800 people since 1968. The Spanish media is reporting that Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who supported Catalonia's new law, will soon begin direct talks with the ETA.
Catalonia and the Basque Country are among Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas ("autonomous communities"), akin to states or provinces, that already get to make many decisions for themselves. Critics say granting them more autonomy is folly. Mariano Rajoy, leader of Spain's center-right Popular Party, calls it "the liquidation of constitutional Spain." That may be an overstatement, but it wouldn't be the first time constitutional Spain has been liquidated.
A Little History, Please
Both the Basque Country and Catalonia (along with Galicia) were granted autonomy by the short-lived Spanish Constitution of 1931. That constitution got blown away by the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), which also claimed the lives of perhaps a million Spaniards.
From the end of the war until the mid-1970s, an autocratic dictator--Francisco Franco--reigned. When Franco died in 1975, he left the reins of Spain in the hands not of an elected official, but of a monarch--King Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón (Juan Carlos, for short).
To the king's credit, he immediately began to facilitate a transition toward constitutional democracy, helping Spain achieve the historically unthinkable--a bloodless transition from dictatorship to representative government. One of his first steps was to legalize political parties, including Prime Minister Zapatero's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
A Little Autonomy, Please
In 1978, Spain adopted its current constitution, which created the autonomous communities as a compromise to keep the nation from falling apart. Basically, the constitution's framers faced pressure from two sides. On the one hand, regional autonomy had been a rallying cry for the democratic opposition since the Franco years, and even before. (Catalonia, the Basque Country, and other regions have their own linguistic, cultural, and political traditions.)
On the other hand, conservative groups--and their supporters in the army--insisted that Spain remain a centralized state. So the constitution wound up recognizing both "the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation," and the right of "provinces with a historic regional status" to "form autonomous communities." Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia (dubbed "historical nationalities" by the constitution) soon became autonomous communities. Other regions followed suit, and by 1983, Spain had been divided into 17 more-or-less autonomous chunks.
Who Reigns in Spain Today?
The king remained on his throne to serve as the ceremonial head of state, as he does to this day. And the constitution created a national government with a freely elected bicameral parliament (called the Cortes). But the national government shares power with the regional governments, and the amount of power it shares varies from region to region. In other words, some autonomous communities are more autonomous than others.
Under the newly passed law, Catalonia could become the most autonomous of all--but perhaps not for long. The Basque Country and Galicia will likely pursue similar autonomy reforms, as may Valencia. And Andalusia has already proposed a new set-up for itself. Together, these five regions account for more than half of Spain's population.
Critics of the new autonomy measures fear a Balkanization of Spain. But supporters--including the prime minister--see decentralization as a means to modernize and even strengthen the nation, albeit under a more federalist system.
Steve Sampson
June 20, 2006
Want to learn more?
See Catalonia's sights online (http://www.pbase.com/wwestcott/catalonia)
http://www.pbase.com/wwestcott/catalonia